Join us as we explore movies based on books, addressing filmmakers' challenges in capturing book essence and evoking diverse emotions and interpretations from audiences.

Whale Rider

Description: On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny

• 2002 1hr 41min ♦  English and Maori with closed captions
• Director: Niki Caro ♦ Cast: Cliff Curtis, Keisha Castle-Hughes,  Vicky Haughton, Rawiri Paratene

Based on the book The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, which is available at the Boulder Public Library.

 ►Watch trailer

PG – Parental Guidance Suggested

Some material may not be suitable for children under 13